Up for Debate  I ka ʻōlelo nō ke ola, i ka ʻōlelo nō ka make. 
  In language there is life, in language there is death. 
 
Scan the QR code this to visit our project page. 
 
   

Essential Question:​ ​ How can I use my voice to bring attention to relevant current events and have a positive impact of my 
community? 

Driving Questions: 
● How do people effectively use persuasion to get what they want? 
● How do parts of an argument relate to each other in presentation and refutation? 
● What role does planning, preparation, and research play in effective communication? 

Need to knows:  ● Why is debating an important skill? 

● How do people act when they are debating? 
● Why should opposing views be heard? 
● What do you need to prepare for a debate? 
● How do people effectively use persuasion to get what they want? 
● How do parts of an argument relate to each other in presentation and refutation? 
● How are nonverbal elements used to communicate and persuade? 
● Why are effective argumentation skills essential to success in any career? 
● What role does planning, preparation, and research play in effective communication? 

What is this project about?  Benchmarks   

   
Benchmark 1: Research Notes Round 1 
Students will spend three weeks discovering the value of 
Due Date: Start of class 8A - 5/1, 8B & 8C - 4/30 
opposing viewpoints on different current event topics. Students 
 
will learn to conduct a debate following the Middle School Public  Benchmark 2: Debates Round 1 
Debate Program model. Students will first research a variety of  Due Date: Start of class 8A - 5/1-5/2, 8B & 8C - 4/30-5/1 
topics in teams of three, finding both the pros and cons of the   
topic. Students must be able to form arguments, find fallacies in  Benchmark 3: Haumāna Survey (Google Classroom) 
both research and arguments refute and eventually debate their  Due Date: Start of class 8A - 5/4, 8B & 8C - 5/3 
peers. The unit guides students through the debate process   
allowing for practice on each of the process stages. As the  Benchmark 4: Research Notes Round 2 
Due Date: Start of class 8A - 5/8, 8B & 8C - 5/7 
performance assessment pieces, students will conduct a debate 
 
using knowledge gained from the unit, in order to compete 
Benchmark 5: Debates Round 2 
against a team of peers on the same topic.    Due Date: Start of class 8A - 5/8-5/9, 8B & 8C - 5/7-5/8 
 
Benchmark 6: Reflection (ePortfolio) 
Due Date: 8A - 5/11, 8B & 8C - 5/10